THEY ARE … DISTINGUISHED … OUTSTANDING

Five Dana alumni were honored during a special ceremony on Oct. 1. Paul Ahrendt, Don Poh and Jeanne and Conrad Sorensen were awarded Dana’s highest alumni honor, the Distinguished Alumni Awards. Nathan Krämer received the Outstanding Young Alumnus award.

Paul Ahrendt ’68

Persistence. It’s a philosophy and a way of life that have taken Paul Ahrendt from Dana’s high hill into a successful career as owner of a growing small business.

The desire to continue his education and play football brought Ahrendt to Dana after his graduation from LeMars Community High School in 1963. It was also the beginning of family tradition. His wife, Kathryn (Hulsebus ’71) also attended Dana. Four of their five children (Tami ’96, Traci ’00, Teri ’01 and Toni ’02) followed in their parents’ footsteps in graduating from Dana.

Ahrendt found the classwork at Dana challenging at first. In fact, he credits the Academic Probationary Board as being a strong college influence, believing in him enough to allow him to stay in school even though his grades didn’t measure up at first. Others at Dana who strongly touched Ahrendt’s life were Coach Paul Peterson, Pastor Richard Jensen ’56 and Ernie “Greek” Abariotes ’65.

While at Dana, Ahrendt was a four-year member of the football team, lettering each year. He also participated in wrestling.

In 1977, he began his own business in Lincoln, The Tool House. The business has grown from one small store to three locations in Lincoln, Omaha and Des Moines. The business has 40 employees.

He has continued to support Dana, both with financial donations and time as a past member of the Dana Alumni Council. He credits Dana with helping him to believe in himself, and for fostering relationships with faculty members, students and other alumni which continue to this day.

Don Poh ’50

Don Poh has been gone from the hill at Dana for more than 50 years now.

But a piece of him has found its way back and will serve as a legacy to the man and his music. In the sprint of 2003, Poh donated a nine-foot Baldwin concert grand piano (vintage 1973) that today brings joy to musicians on the campus.

Poh arrived on the campus in the fall of 1946, just getting his “land legs” back after serving in the Navy as anti-submarine technician in both the Atlantic and Pacific fleets. He had entered the military right after his 1944 graduation from Green Bay (Wis.) West High School. The GI bill gave him the funding he needed to pursue a dream of becoming a music educator.

While on the Dana campus, he participated in the student newspaper, led the Men’s Glee Club and was a member of the chorus and quartet. He studied piano as part of his music education major. He credits the influence of Louise Woeppel, English composition professor, with connecting him to the Blair Pilot Tribune, which turned him for seven years away from music and into journalism.

In 1950, he returned to Green Bay, working in both newspaper and television. He got back into the music business with his own store, something that would more than fill his hours for the next 51 years. The focus of the business was not only on the sales of pianos, but much more, with full service to piano teachers with a huge inventory of piano and organ music. For many of the years, the business included a building next door, Little Carnegie, which gave music students a center for performing recitals on a concert grand piano. The Pohs’ service extended to opening up for teachers’ meeting and seminars. Poh and his wife, Judy, sold their business earlier this year.

Jeanne (Nielsen ’53) and Conrad Sorensen ’53

Conrad and Jeanne Sorensen have both felt God guiding their paths through their lives. Although they were never sure where the path was leading, it always led them to joy in getting to know people through the outdoors, on the farm, on the job and at church camp.

In the fall of 1976, the couple took a dramatic step in becoming co-directors of Lake Okoboji Lutheran Bible Camp (now Ingham Okoboji Lutheran Bible Camp) and moving there. At the time, Connie was also building and selling homes while the couple still lived on their farm; Jeanne was teaching school in Harlan.

Their association with the Bible camp began back in 1961 when Connie was named to the camp’s board. They had spent 1975 working with staff and program development there. They spent the summer of 1976 as volunteers at the camp. As camp director they built friendships and relationships for more almost 20 years before they turning over the leadership to their son, Mark ’78 in 1993. As an outgrowth of the camp work, Jeanne organized a travel program for adults, which has taken the couple across the nation and even to Israel.

The couple has two sons, Mark and Paul and six grandchildren. They have touched the lives of many through their work. At least 35 camp staff members at Okoboji have gone on to become ordained ministers and another 50 have served as church youth directors. They credit Dana for giving them a background of faith and friendship that has helped sustain them through the years.

Nathan Krämer ’89

The praises of Nathan Krämer, this year’s Dana College Outstanding Young Alumnus, are numerous and come from a variety of nominating sources.

Krämer’s first contact with Dana College came while he was still a high school student in Bethune, Colo. He visited Dana for several Luther League District retreats and conferences. Alice Laaker, the former dean of women at Dana, befriended the young student and encouraged him to come back to Dana for his college education.
With the help of Dana faculty, he overcame learning disabilities and persevered to pass his courseload.

A highlight of his college experience was a 1987 Interim trip to Europe, led by Professor John W. Nielsen D ’47 T ’53. Krämer calls the trip ‘one of the most powerful influences in my adult life …. It exposed me to things that make my life rich and rewarding today.’

He and his wife, Amy Barlow, met at a Lutheran church volunteer work program in 1983. They share a broad variety of interests including a passion for entertaining, writing and developing genealogical histories, classical music and collecting family heirlooms and Dana memorabilia. Since graduation, Krämer has worked at Dana College, coordinating special events in Parnassus; as a creative partner and chef at Carey Cottage in Fremont; as an events coordinator for Creighton University, and since 1999 for HunTel.net in Blair, where he assists businesses in the development of websites. He continues to be active in alumni affairs, most notably as the creative director of The Grand Tour, Homecoming 2002 and The Hofbräuhaus for Homecoming 2003.